986 upgrades with factory parts questions.... - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

I’m thinking of throwing in a short shifter like a B&M or eBay equivalent but reading some pro and cons. Some are stating throw in a 987 / 997 is it that much better? Heard the throws aren’t extremely short but is noticeable. Only thing I don’t like about it is that it still uses plastic bushings. As for the true short shifter kits are all aluminum. Now I know that the gt2 or gt3 shifters are shorter and has the aluminum bushings but the pricing is high and nearly impossible to find compared to the regular 987 / 997. Any feed back from ones who have both or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Also what other factory upgrades are there for these cars? 987 air box is one I believe I read something about the transmission mounts as well.

I just swapped out a 997 shifter for Ben's short shifter (modified ebay shifter). 987/997 is about 15% shorter than stock. Ben's/ebay (and I think B&M) are all about 30-35% shorter than stock. Keep in mind the shorter you go the greater the effort required to shift. I'm happy with Ben's and have since sold my 997 unit. I took a video of each of the shifters mounted in the car and can try to upload it if you're interested.

I installed a 987/997 shifter in my car. I found the shift motion to be noticeably shorter and more precise. The shifts require slightly more effort, but it is not objectionable. There is a 987/997 short shifter which has even shorter throws, but I have not used one. The shifter I bought used had about 30,000 miles on it. I replaced a 986 shifter with over 100,000 miles. Part of the improvement may be due to the lesser amount of use on the replacement part. I recommend this upgrade, but there may be better options.

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Could you upload some would be great. I’ve had short shifters in other cars just not in the Porsche. A bit of effort is ok

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I believe the shifter you are referring to that’s shorter is what’s on the gt2 and gt3 if I’m not mistaken. I know the 987 / 997 is for sure is better then stock but just wondering if it’s better to just get the short shifter kits rather then stock

Hey Johnny! In my experience the 987/997 shifter didn't make enough of a difference for me and I ended up going with the B&M that was a keeper. I'd say spare yourself the trouble and just go with one of those or Ben's shifter which is much more economical but just as good and you'll never look back.

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Thank you for the insight. I believe you are right I think going with the short shifter may be a better bet. I remember reading up on Bens shifter its basically the same as eBay shifters just with sealed bearings. Can anyone confirm this? Thank you for the video. So did you end up sticking with the short shifter?

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I think it is a matter of personal preference. The best way to decide would be to check out all of the options in person and decide which meets your expectations. I picked the 987/997 shifter because: 1. I found one available for about $130 2. I didn't have to destroy my shifter to install it 3. Several people on the forums spoke highly of it 4. As a bonus, I was able to sell my OEM 986 shifter to someone else for $50 so that they could use it as a base for installing an aftermarket short shifter. The 987/997 OEM short shifters were in the $300 price range and that was more than I wanted to spend. At a net cost of $80 I think I got my money's worth. Since I was painting my center console and replacing the parking brake switch at the same time, the extra labor was negligible. I concede that there are likely to be better options. If I ever run across an inexpensive OEM 987/997 short shifter, I expect I would buy it and install it. I once drove a Honda S2000 back-to-back with my Boxster and I found the S2000 shifter to be much better than the Boxster. I think the S2000 shifter is superior to the shifter on the Miata I previously owned. The Boxster and the Carrera need longer shift linkages than the S2000 or the Miata. I expect that engineering a good shifter is more challenging in a mid or rear engine car than in a car with a front engine and the transmission located below the driver's right hand. Try driving a 914 sometime. The shifters in the 914s I've driven have been very loose and I found it difficult to determine whether I was in gear or which gear I was in.

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I second the S2000 shifter comment, having owned one and driving a Miata. The S2000 prob has the best stock shifter on the market, nice throws, notchy and precise, prob the best feature of that car. But yes, it sits on top of the transmission so we'll never be able to match that in our cable linkage cars. Im not sure about the exact differences between Ben's shifter and the ebay one but having tried both I can tell you his feels better. Its still a very economical option and it works great! He actually designed a new tall shifter that brings the shifter right next to the wheel, I have one of those and will install it in a few days. That might be the sweet spot for me as I feel I have to reach down to shift. Again, living in the past, in the S2000 the shifter sits closer to the wheel because the center console is very tall, and its just a much smaller car overall. With this new tall version it will come up and be close to wheel.

I decided to stick with Ben's. Though to be fair, I had the 997 shifter in my car for 5 years and was perfectly happy with it. I think you'd be happy with either over the stock shifter. Depends on what you can find a deal on and how inclined you are to modify a stock shifter to use Ben's. As Kevin pointed out, if you go the 997 route you can sell your stock one to offset the cost, which is what I did when I originally purchased mine. I ended up getting a deal on Ben's shifter already installed into a factory cradle from a generous forum member here, so for me it was an easy swap. It's definitely shorter and tighter feeling than the 997 unit. But like I said, both are a nice upgrade from stock, especially if your current shifter has some miles on it.

So Im going to try to have everything buttoned up on a 2.5L engine and while I have things open wanted to get some advice on things I should upgrade internally? Ive read somewhere that the 987 oil return separator in the sump was beneficial? Can anyone confirm?